Grut (Gruit) Bier, Munich Germany

Here I have something I've been hoping to try for a while. A gruit beer that advertises itself as being "brewed as they did in the 13th century." The importance is that hops, a flower bud that gives beer its 'bitter' flavor and also is a potent preservative, wasn't used in beer until fairly recently, less than 600 years. Before then early brewers used a variety of berries, herbs and spices (known as gruit) to give beer it's flavor. True beer, as first defined by the German Food Purity Law, is flavored by hops, so this beer, a gruit beer, is technically a 'proto-beer' and is pretty excited to a geek like myself.

I picked up a bottle of this from the Spuytin Duyvil beer store in Williamsburg. Just a note - I'm actually not sure which brewer made this as the label simply says "Brewed in Munich by Dr. Fritz Briem". Being as this is my first try with a gruit beer, I won't rate it as I have nothing to compare it to.

The Pour- the beer is a light orange color, similar to a wheat beer. It's opaque with no head. A very small grouping of bubbles appear in groups, similar to the Midas Touch, something I normally associate with sweetness. Looks cool and refreshing.

Nose - First wiffs are of a strong, bready yeast, like a loft of freshly baked whole wheat. After a moment the nose fills with a strong bouquet of spices and tang. Similar to a belgian saison with notes of citrus and bitter brett yeast.

Mouth Feel- Very flat, like a stout... actually no noticeable carbonation. Very little body, similar to a ginger ale left open for a few minutes, very light and very refreshing. It's fresh from the fridge so it's nicely cold and goes down fast.

Taste- a little lacking here actually. The beer really perks up the back and roof of the mouth and is sitting there after a few sips. A particularly 'wild' bitter yeast, most likely brett, gives is a strong tang. Gone are the citrus notes and really most flavoring of any kind. Not quite unpleasant as it goes down very quickly without lingering at all. Bottle says 4.6% and I'm not getting any alcohol warmth at all. A very mild session hitter, somewhat similar to a mass produced american lager that can go down quickly and rapidly.

Overall: a bit anticlimactic really. I was anticipating big wild flavors of all the juniper berries, bay leaves, ginger and anise that it was brewed with (according to the bottle) but I'm getting little else than the bitter yeast. I can easily imagine a group of feudal serfs pounding these by the liter is a dark ages pub but something is missing. This really makes one fonder and more appreciative of hops, what an experience that must have been to taste hops for the first time. Finally beer has body, sticky resins that coat the mouth and make it a full sensory experience. Either way, I would definitely pick up another bottle of this or any other gruit beer that comes my way. A nice connection to the past.